Consultancy-Project Mid-Term Evaluation“New Education Perspectives For Children With Special Learning Needs”

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT This project, funded by European Union (EU), seeks to contribute to creating an inclusive environment for Children with Disabilities (CWDs) in the educational programs within the Palestinian community (overall objective). Within the framework and resources of the project, the specific objective is to mobilize and equip relevant stakeholders in the refugee community (parents, youth, and kindergartens) to improve the learning environment of CWD. This project adopts an early intervention approach targeting age groups (1) between 0 to 6 years old and (2) older than 6 years old, in order to facilitate their inclusion into Kindergartens and UNRWA schools.   In addition to the Overall and Specific Objectives, the action seeks to contribute to achieving the below results: -       850 CWD being equipped so that they are better able to access education opportunities (Result 1) -       600 Parents of CWD are equipped so that they support their children’s education (Result 2) -       25 Kindergartens are provided with technical and material support to create an inclusive learning environment  (Result 3) -       5 Parent Action Groups and 4 Youth Groups are empowered and equipped to lobby for inclusion of CWDs in UNRWA schools (Result 4)   This action is targeting three main areas in Lebanon where Palestinians reside: Beirut, South, and North. The main camps that are covered under this action are 7 out of the total 12 camps in Lebanon.     PURPOSE OF THE MID-TERM EVALUATION There are 4 purposes to carrying out the mid-term evaluation; (1) to assess the efficiency, (2) to assess the effectiveness, (3) to assess impact and (4) to assess accountability of project implementation. In addition, the mid-term evaluation will provide data on the progress towards achievement of all the project targets (all project objective-level indicators).     MID TERM EVALUATION METHODOLOGY Establishing the progress towards achievement of overall, specific and result level objectives as specified in the indicator (target) as well as efficiency, effectiveness, impact and accountability of project implementation will rely on review of key documents (narrative and financial reports) as well as primary data collection through surveys with direct beneficiaries (children, parents, KG teachers), focus group discussions (FGDs) with parents and key informant interviews with kindergarten representatives and shadow teachers.   The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks: Review the project design document, logical framework, monitoring and evaluation plan, baseline report as well as project narrative (monthly, quarterly) and financial reports Meet with project manager and partners to gain deeper understanding of the project components Develop quantitative and qualitative data collection tools (in English) that measure the set indicators (effectiveness) as well as as efficiency, impact and accountability. This includes the preparation of survey questionnaires, focus group discussions guides and key informant interviews guides. It is crucial to clearly indicate what each of the tools is intending to measure. Share with, get feedback, incorporate feedback & get approval of WVL team on the mid-term evaluation tools Translate the tools to Arabic Set the sampling procedure in collaboration with the project manager, the project partners as well as with the support of the Design, Monitoring & Evaluation team at WVL Pilot test the developed tools and incorporate changes prior to the actual data collection Conduct data collection (recruit and train data collectors on survey questionnaires) Follow up with data collectors during survey data collection Ensure that collected data is of valid and acceptable quality Prepare the survey questionnaires data entry “variable view” sheet on SPSS Train data collectors on how to use SPSS for data entry Supervise quality of data entry Conduct key informant interviews Conduct focus group discussions Perform both quantitative and qualitative data analysis Share and validate results of the mid-term evaluation with WVL staff Draft the mid-term evaluation report and submit to WVL for feedback. Prepare the final mid-term evaluation report in view of the feedback on the draft report Report weekly progress to WVL team (once per week until end of consultancy)   CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: The Consultant should have the following competencies and experiences: Advanced degree in relevant field (e.g. Social Sciences, Public Health, etc) Good understanding of special education and inclusion concept Familiar with NGO engagement and work in Lebanon and the Palestinian Refugee Community Good analytical, critical thinking, FGD and KII facilitation in Arabic and writing skills Ability to work on tight schedules with minimal supervision Proven knowledge and experience in conducting project evaluations Proven knowledge and experience in conducting in-depth statistical analysis of quantitative data     TIMELINE WITH DELIVERABLES Approximate start date:  End of February   Expected end date: Mid April